J.D. Vance - CPAC Texas 2022

At CPAC Texas 2022, then-author of Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance, shared his own inspiring life story from growing up poor in a non-traditional family in Appalachia to running for U.S. Congress.

Vance first gained national recognition for his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, and subsequent film adaptation of the same name. His life story, as recorded in Hillbilly Elegy, of being raised by a drug addict mother to serving in the Marines to graduating from Yale law school, resonated with many as a story of self-determination and the American Dream.

“This country, ladies and gentlemen, is a great place, and it was a great place especially to a kid like me, and for that reason, I believe it’s time to step up. It’s time to fight for it, and ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to save this country and do it in the right way,” Vance exhorted.

The Democrats’ neglect of the American economy and radical transformation of the education system is especially outraging to Vance. His own background gives him an intimate understanding of the economic hardships that average Americans are experiencing in a struggling economy, and he knows the value of quality education for creating opportunities for everyone to prosper.

"American citizens have dreams too, and one of those dreams is they should be able to have a family cookout with hamburger buns, and they should be able to fill up their gas tank with reasonable price gasoline. Those are the dreams of our people, and those are the dreams that we need to defend," called Vance.

Watch his full speech from CPAC Texas 2022 on Youtube @CPAC.